The clinical trial explores the use of immunotherapy to treat the disease with fewer long-term complications
VALHALLA, N.Y. (June, 2025) – Westchester Medical Center, a leader in cutting-edge cancer care, has been awarded a prestigious Empire Clinical Research Investigator Program (ECRIP) grant to advance safer, more precise treatments for Hodgkin’s lymphoma – particularly for children, adolescents and young adults. The $459,333 grant from New York State, along with additional support from the Westchester Medical Center Health Network, will fund a groundbreaking clinical trial led by nationally renowned pediatric oncologist Mitchell S. Cairo, MD.
While cure rates for Hodgkin’s lymphoma now exceed 90%, many survivors – especially young ones – face devastating long-term consequences, including secondary cancers, infertility and heart disease. Dr. Cairo’s research aims to transform that paradigm by evaluating targeted immunotherapies that offer the same cure rates with fewer-life altering side effects.
“It’s not enough to cure Hodgkin’s lymphoma—we must also spare young patients from a lifetime of avoidable complications,” Dr. Cairo said. “This study is about replacing the toxicity of yesterday’s treatments with the precision of today’s immunotherapy, giving survivors the chance to live long, healthy lives free from preventable harm.”
Dr. Cairo holds numerous titles at Westchester Medical Center, Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital, including Chief, Pediatric Hematology, Oncology, and Stem Cell Transplantation; Director, Children and Adolescent Cancer and Blood Diseases Center; and Director, WMC Cancer Center; and Professor of Pediatrics, Medicine, Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and Cell Biology and Anatomy, and vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at New York Medical College.
David Lubarsky, MD, MBA, President and Chief Executive Officer of WMCHealth, said,
“Patients deserve more than survival—they deserve a future free from the lasting harm of outdated treatments. As the Hudson Valley’s only academic medical center, we are committed to advancing research that improves both outcomes and quality of life. This study exemplifies the kind of forward-looking care we believe should define the next generation of cancer treatment.”
Dr. Cairo, who has already led an initial phase of the clinical trial, will be presenting findings on the first 15 patients during the 18th International Conference on Malignant Lymphoma (ICML), taking place during June 17-21 in Lugano, Switzerland.
The clinical trial will investigate the use of targeted immunotherapies to treat Hodgkin’s lymphoma. The drugs being tested in the trial – all of which are FDA-approved – include an antibody-drug conjugate, a monoclonal antibody, and a checkpoint blockade inhibitor. A total of 40 patients are expected to enroll in the study; full enrollment is expected within the two-year funding period.